Beyond Racehttp://beyondrace.com
Groundbreaking Music & CultureTue, 04 Feb 2014 13:20:33 +0000en-UShourly1Win a pair of tickets to Moogfest 2014!http://beyondrace.com/brm-is-offering-a-pair-of-tickets-to-moogfest-2014?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=brm-is-offering-a-pair-of-tickets-to-moogfest-2014
http://beyondrace.com/brm-is-offering-a-pair-of-tickets-to-moogfest-2014#commentsTue, 04 Feb 2014 13:19:52 +0000Vanessahttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9332Beyond Race Magazine will be offering two tickets to this year’s amazing Moogfest in Asheville, NC. Visit our Facebook page to Like and share the contest post for a chance to win them! Winners will be drawn and contacted mid February. In the meantime, have a look at the solid line-up and be blown away: Kraftwerk [...]]]>

Beyond Race Magazine will be offering two tickets to this year’s amazing Moogfest in Asheville, NC. Visit our Facebook page to Like and share the contest post for a chance to win them!

Winners will be drawn and contacted mid February.

In the meantime, have a look at the solid line-up and be blown away: Kraftwerk 3D, MIA, Pet Shop Boys, Laurie Anderson, Moderat…The list goes on.

]]>http://beyondrace.com/brm-is-offering-a-pair-of-tickets-to-moogfest-2014/feed0Clayton Patterson’s Tompkins Square Park Police Riot – August 6, 2013 at 7pm at Anthology Film Archiveshttp://beyondrace.com/clayton-pattersons-tompkins-square-park-police-riot-august-6-2013-at-7pm-at-anthology-film-archives?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=clayton-pattersons-tompkins-square-park-police-riot-august-6-2013-at-7pm-at-anthology-film-archives
http://beyondrace.com/clayton-pattersons-tompkins-square-park-police-riot-august-6-2013-at-7pm-at-anthology-film-archives#commentsSat, 03 Aug 2013 23:42:34 +0000Davehttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9325Documentarian Clayton Patterson, the Godfather of all that is cool, underground and artistic in New York City’s Lower East Side, is screening three films this week, most notably the first ever screening of the complete footage from the Tompkins Square Park Police Riot at Anthology Film Archives on Tuesday, August 6th at 7pm. This year [...]]]>

Documentarian Clayton Patterson, the Godfather of all that is cool, underground and artistic in New York City’s Lower East Side, is screening three films this week, most notably the first ever screening of the complete footage from the Tompkins Square Park Police Riot at Anthology Film Archives on Tuesday, August 6th at 7pm. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of arguably the most famous riot in America. On the night of August 6, 1998, the NYPD rioted against peaceful protesters in Tompkins Square Park on the Lower East Side. Clayton Patterson happened to catch the whole thing on tape. The footage landed Clayton in jail because he would not turn it over to the city. Clayton held his ground and was rewarded with immortal cult status and an appearance on Oprah. The same footage resulted in one of the most massive disciplinary actions in NYPD history. The footage is three and a half hours long and not for the faint of heart. Tickets are $ 10. This may be the only time the footage is ever screened so this is one event you don’t want to miss!

]]>http://beyondrace.com/clayton-pattersons-tompkins-square-park-police-riot-august-6-2013-at-7pm-at-anthology-film-archives/feed0Putting The Bay Area On The Map: Interview with IamSu!http://beyondrace.com/putting-bay-area-on-the-map-interview-with-iamsu?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=putting-bay-area-on-the-map-interview-with-iamsu
http://beyondrace.com/putting-bay-area-on-the-map-interview-with-iamsu#commentsWed, 05 Jun 2013 18:42:42 +0000Davehttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9316While the Bay Area hasn’t featured prominently on the mainstream map over the last few years, a new generation of musicians is threatening to turn the tides. IamSu!, a Richmond, CA native is one of the young rappers leading the charge. I talked to Su about The Bay, inspirations, collaborations and the future during his [...]]]>

While the Bay Area hasn’t featured prominently on the mainstream map over the last few years, a new generation of musicians is threatening to turn the tides. IamSu!, a Richmond, CA native is one of the young rappers leading the charge. I talked to Su about The Bay, inspirations, collaborations and the future during his recent trip to New York during he and Problem’s ‘Million Dollar Afro’ tour.

How’s New York treating you?

It’s great, my third time out here – it’s the longest time I’ve been out here though.

Tomorrow’s show at Santos Party House will be your first here though, right?

Yeah, first New York show. We’re bringing a lot of cool people. I’m stupid excited about it.

Your name is almost synonymous with the phrase ‘putting the bay area back on the map’ at the moment – how does that feel?

I think that’s awesome and I would love to have that task…It’s an honor.

You referred to Richmond as being the new Compton last year. Would you still say that?

Yeah, I did, I did. And I do still feel that way. You remember gangster rap’s influence back in the day, with Compton and NWA? Those artists came in and changed so much – and the byproducts of that were Snoop Dogg and hella shit like that. I feel like what me and my friends are doing… we’re all from the same area and it’s reminiscent of that, you know?

How would you say that growing up in the Bay Area has influenced your style?

Just being exposed to so many different cultures. It’s a lot like New York, actually, in the sense that there are just so many different types of people from all over the world. I’ve grown accustomed to hearing different types of music and seeing different things my whole life, so really it’s influenced my sound to be like a full circle type of thing.

What kind of music did you listen to growing up?

I listened to a little bit of bay area music growing up – when I started going to high school I listened to more. But mainly I listened to, OutKast, Jay-Z and Mase, Bad Boy, a lot of Cash Money. There was always lot of reggae and soul music in the house growing up as well.

That’s a lot of East Coast stuff…

Yeah, a lot of Southern music. Oh! And Snoop, how could I forget Snoop? That’s my favorite rapper.

Yeah Chief Keef was supposed to be there. I wanted to see him! But he didn’t show.

Were you able to see much music there?

Yeah, I got to kick it with A$AP Ferg which was tight. Who else did we meet? I met a bunch of people… I met Chad Hugo from the Neptunes, which was tight – Pharrell and him definitely had a big influence on me.

How did you initially get your break?

The first big song that I produced was ‘Up’ (by LoveRance)… It was number 2 on the hot 100, we just couldn’t beat Usher for hella long. So yeah, that was my first gold record. It was crazy.

That one was a huge radio hit, but for the most part your exposure has been via mixtapes. Do you feel like the way mixtapes are distributed these days is a positive thing?

Yeah, I think it opens up something for me to build a solid fanbase and allows me to go on tours. I definitely think it’s beneficial. A big record kind of puts you in a box, because everybody’s gonna come after you to try to recreate that same thing. But on my mixtapes I’m able to show different aspects of what I can do – I’m singing on certain songs, and rapping about my family on other songs, you know what I mean?

You’ve collaborated with a number of high-profile artists in the last year. The song that stands out to me at the moment is ‘Function’ by E-40. That’s a Bay Area legend right there. How did that come about?

Yeah, yeah! He just called my phone I was at my partner chief’s house where we always used to record. He just called my phone and said “I’ve got this song for you, nephew” in his E-40 voice (starts to do an imitation), you know what I mean? It was crazy.

That’s awesome. You’ve also been doing a bunch of stuff with Wiz Khalifa. How did you guys hook up?

Yes, the homeboy. I met him after the VMAs and then it was his birthday weekend. We partied and we recorded music. We hit it off and we’ve been cool ever since then.

What’s coming up next for you?

Working on my mixtape – it’s called Kilt 2. It comes in June and I’m just getting ready to go on this next tour. We’re also putting out the HBK gang mixtape and Problem’s putting out Separation 2, I’m trying to get a record on that before we wrap it up…

Kilt 2 is set to drop June 6. For downloads and tour dates, take a look at: www.hbkgang.com

Follow @iamsu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAMSU

words by Corrina Burford

]]>http://beyondrace.com/putting-bay-area-on-the-map-interview-with-iamsu/feed0Black Francis at Symphony Space (NYC) – Friday, May 17: 8pmhttp://beyondrace.com/black-francis-at-symphony-space-nyc-friday-may-17-8pm?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=black-francis-at-symphony-space-nyc-friday-may-17-8pm
http://beyondrace.com/black-francis-at-symphony-space-nyc-friday-may-17-8pm#commentsFri, 17 May 2013 05:02:32 +0000Davehttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9310 On Friday, May 17th join Black Francis as he performs an evening of solo acoustic songs spanning his career at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space [http://www.symphonyspace.org/]. Opening up the night will be singer-songwriter Reid Paley. Black Francis is the stage name contrived by and for Charles Thompson during his residency in [...]]]>

On Friday, May 17th join Black Francis as he performs an evening of solo acoustic songs spanning his career at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space [http://www.symphonyspace.org/]. Opening up the night will be singer-songwriter Reid Paley.

Black Francis is the stage name contrived by and for Charles Thompson during his residency in college rock band the Pixies, a period that ran from the group’s formation in Boston during 1986 until 1993 when the group split up. Thompson’s next show business identity was as Frank Black, often in the bandleading context of Frank Black and the Catholics. Thompson released many albums under his Frank Black moniker, but returned to Black Francis.

With punk and alternative rock influences, Black Francis’ singer-songwriter style features a broad range of lyrical subject matter including surrealism, science fiction and surf culture. In 2007 Black Francis released Bluefinger, which was a concept album about the life and death of Dutch painter/punk rocker Herman Brood and featured some of Black’s most ferocious rock in years. Still working under his Black Francis moniker, Black released the sexually charged NonStopErotik in 2010. Abbabubba, a B-sides and demos collection, arrived in 2011 along with The Golem, Francis’ score for the 1920 silent film of the same name.

]]>http://beyondrace.com/black-francis-at-symphony-space-nyc-friday-may-17-8pm/feed0The End of Lovehttp://beyondrace.com/the-end-of-love?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-end-of-love
http://beyondrace.com/the-end-of-love#commentsWed, 17 Apr 2013 16:43:53 +0000Davehttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9306The End of Love, a small film that lingered on the shelf following a lukewarm reception at last year’s Sundance, stars Mark Webber (who also writes and directs) as a struggling actor and single father. Webber, who you’re most likely to recognize as the neurotic lead singer of Sex Bob-Omb in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, plays [...]]]>

The End of Love, a small film that lingered on the shelf following a lukewarm reception at last year’s Sundance, stars Mark Webber (who also writes and directs) as a struggling actor and single father. Webber, who you’re most likely to recognize as the neurotic lead singer of Sex Bob-Omb in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, plays a fictionalized version of himself here, slogging through acting auditions with his real-life two-year-old son Isaac in tow, and occasionally crossing paths with his actor buddies, including Jason Ritter and Michael Cera. But despite the cameos and showbiz backdrop, the movie is a galaxy from Entourage or Extras. The End of Love is about the hardships Mark faces raising his son alone. Hollywood just serves as the setting.

Isaac is cute in the way two-year-olds tend to be cute and says the darndest things in the way that two-year-olds tend to say them, but the inherent preciousness of watching a young father interact with his son quickly wears off, and we begin to see Mark as emotionally and physically exhausted. He stumbles awkwardly through romantic situations and can’t keep up with the rent. There’s a melancholic detachment in his voice that we soon learn is related to his wife’s recent death. (The obligatory “crying at the grave” scene is mercifully cliche free.) An all-grown-up Shannon Sossamon – not playing herself, if you’re keeping track – eventually shows up as love interest, fumbling through conversations as she attempts to connect with the damaged Mark.

The film is slight in its ambitions, and largely succeeds. Webber’s performance pulses with urgency and fragility, and as a writer and director, he’s rarely cloying in his attempts to tug at the heartstrings. Shaky handheld camera work, quick-cut editing, and barely-there dialogue creates a docu-realist feel that will exhaust anyone looking for an easy narrative, but gives life to mundane scenes that might have otherwise been a bore.

Unfortunately, however, the bevy of famous faces become distracting. Early on, Mark blows an audition reading opposite Amanda Seyfried. Later, in a sequence that is oddly detached from the rest of the movie, Mark reconnects with an old love interest (Jocelin Donahue) while attending a party at Michael Cera’s swanky L.A. digs. Other attendees – including Aubrey Plaza, Alison Pill, and Alia Shawkat – toy with handguns, smoke weed, and play board games, as Mark gets too intoxicated for his own good. Whether Webber included the scene to drum up buzz with some famous names, or simply wanted the narrative to more closely mirror his own life, the dragged-out twenty-minute sequence would have been better left on the cutting room floor.

There are still enough moments of stark sincerity in The End of Love to make the film worthwhile. Mark and Isaac’s interactions feel organic, and Mark’s heavy eyes bear the burden of a father who loves his son, but knows how complicated and difficult he’s made his life. Webber smartly steers free of too much melodrama throughout, so when the sap starts to drip at the end of the third act, it at least feels like he’s earned it.

words by Adam D’Arpino

]]>http://beyondrace.com/the-end-of-love/feed0Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain and Porto, Portugalhttp://beyondrace.com/hot-primavera-sound-music-festival-in-barcelona-spain-and-porto-portugal?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hot-primavera-sound-music-festival-in-barcelona-spain-and-porto-portugal
http://beyondrace.com/hot-primavera-sound-music-festival-in-barcelona-spain-and-porto-portugal#commentsTue, 16 Apr 2013 17:34:40 +0000Vanessahttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9295Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain and Optimus Primavera Sound in the northern Portuguese city of Porto are set to rock the Iberian peninsula at the end of May and beginning of June. The Primavera Sound team, responsible for organizing some of the best and most comprehensive music festivals and events in the world, bring exciting, [...]]]>

Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain and Optimus Primavera Sound in the northern Portuguese city of Porto are set to rock the Iberian peninsula at the end of May and beginning of June.

The Primavera Sound team, responsible for organizing some of the best and most comprehensive music festivals and events in the world, bring exciting, familiar, unfamiliar and an unexpected mix of artists from around to globe to play for you at their beautiful festival sites next to the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

This year’s lineup includes the likes of My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Dinosaur Jr, Apparat, Wu-Tang Clan, Thee Oh Sees, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Swan, Simian Mobile Disco, Phoenix, The Postal Service, Dan Deacon, Explosions in the Sky, Four Tet, Grizzly Bear, Rodriguez (of Searching for Sugar Man), and a plethora of other bands (Spanish, Portuguese and International alike) that, whether you know it or not, you are wishing you knew more about.

The festival in Barcelona is about 3 to 4 times the size of the one in Porto. Both are amazing in their own right, but if you are into smaller crowds, check out the one in Portugal. Plus, not only is Porto one of the most beautiful cities that you will visit in you lifetime, it is surrounded by rivers, ocean breeze, history, and the sweet scent of port wine.

]]>http://beyondrace.com/hot-primavera-sound-music-festival-in-barcelona-spain-and-porto-portugal/feed0This Week: Ólafur Arnalds at Le Poisson Rougehttp://beyondrace.com/this-week-olafur-arnalds-at-le-poisson-rouge?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=this-week-olafur-arnalds-at-le-poisson-rouge
http://beyondrace.com/this-week-olafur-arnalds-at-le-poisson-rouge#commentsMon, 15 Apr 2013 20:10:25 +0000Vanessahttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9289A few weeks after a memorable performance at SXSW, Icelandic neo-classical composer Ólafur Arnalds‘ upcoming record release show comes to NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge next Thursday, April 18th with 28-piece Ensemble LPR. The performance is at 6:30pm and will feature strings, horns, woodwinds, Icelandic vocalist Arnór Dan, and Ólafur on grand piano and laptop. Ólafur is coming to NYC in support [...]]]>

A few weeks after a memorable performance at SXSW, Icelandic neo-classical composer Ólafur Arnalds‘ upcoming record release show comes to NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge next Thursday, April 18th with 28-piece Ensemble LPR. The performance is at 6:30pm and will feature strings, horns, woodwinds, Icelandic vocalist Arnór Dan, and Ólafur on grand piano and laptop.

Ólafur is coming to NYC in support of his new album, For Now I Am Winter, featuring orchestral arrangements from Nico Muhly and Icelandic vocalist Arnór Dan, out now on Mercury Classics.

Watch the new video for “Old Skin” here:

]]>http://beyondrace.com/this-week-olafur-arnalds-at-le-poisson-rouge/feed0The Weeks chat with BRM on touring, tattoos and “what’s next”http://beyondrace.com/the-weeks-chat-with-brm-on-touring-tattoos-and-whats-next?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-weeks-chat-with-brm-on-touring-tattoos-and-whats-next
http://beyondrace.com/the-weeks-chat-with-brm-on-touring-tattoos-and-whats-next#commentsSat, 06 Apr 2013 22:25:08 +0000Davehttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9281 The Weeks break it down with Gyasi Kirtley @ SXSW in Austin, Texas. The Weeks new album “Dear Bo Jackson” drops this April on Serpents & Snakes Records. Stay updated on the band, tour dates and new music via their website. http://theweeksmusic.tumblr.com/ ]]>

]]>http://beyondrace.com/the-weeks-chat-with-brm-on-touring-tattoos-and-whats-next/feed0ScHoolboy Q performs sold out show at S.O.B’shttp://beyondrace.com/schoolboy-q-performs-sold-out-show-at-s-o-bs?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=schoolboy-q-performs-sold-out-show-at-s-o-bs
http://beyondrace.com/schoolboy-q-performs-sold-out-show-at-s-o-bs#commentsSat, 30 Mar 2013 00:53:35 +0000Davehttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9270ScHoolboy Q is a trooper. The Top Dawg Entertainment-signed rapper played two sold out shows last night at New York’s SOB’s, defying the “You’ve seen one, you’ve seen em’ all” rule of thumb. Calling the first show packed would be a bit of an understatement. Calling the second show anything less would be down right [...]]]>

ScHoolboy Q @ SOB’s

ScHoolboy Q is a trooper. The Top Dawg Entertainment-signed rapper played two sold out shows last night at New York’s SOB’s, defying the “You’ve seen one, you’ve seen em’ all” rule of thumb.

Calling the first show packed would be a bit of an understatement. Calling the second show anything less would be down right absurd. The crowd was dense, with several attendants rocking their TDE gear in the form of hats and sweatshirts. The front row wore Q’s choice fragrance–marijuana, that is–which was rolled and passed into the crowd straight from the MC himself.

Performing two sets, outfit change included, Q made sure to give his fans a good show, despite being physically exhausted. He personally thanked all of his fans, reaching into the crowd and giving them daps, with the same energy displayed a few hours before in his first show. He stated that if fans spent their last 20 dollars on him, he appreciated the gesture, and reminded them that there is someone sleeping on the street right now, and that they should all feel blessed; a heartfelt introduction from the once homeless rapper before the performance of his track “Blessed” off his second independent studio album, Habits and Contradictions. He also thanked them for putting his daughter Joy, now 3, through school through supporting his musical career.

With his crisp blue button down and fresh out-of-the-box Jordan’s, Q hightailed across the small stage, with his smooth, but impacting dance moves; performing so close to the stage edge, fans could see the curl pattern of his beard.

ScHoolboy shares a blunt with the crowd @ SOB’s

Q stayed energetic the whole way through, performing tracks like “Druggys wit Hoe’s Again”, “Figg get the money/ Nightmare on Figg St” and the live performance christening of his latest track “Yay yay” off his new album Oxymoron (not to be confused with J.Rock’s “Yola” or the term “Yagga”- that I misguidedly mixed up during our basement interview, of which Q laughed stating, “What’s my song called?”).

Q is the ultimate jokester, ushering both Kendrick and ASAP Rocky to the stage. The two were not waiting in the shadows as Q made it seem, but are in fact currently on tour. There was never a dull moment during the show–a fan even gave the rapper a hand drawn portrait, of which Q displayed to the crowd, teasing that the artist gave him huge lips. He even remarked that the artist probably had one of rapper Danny Brown “that looks as ugly as him.”

Q is hands down the most humble rapper in the world. He thanked his fans, called them ugly motherfuckers, and then thanked them again in the most sincere way possible. I’m sure with enough gallons of water and enough pre-rolled blunts, Q could easily take on his own headlining tour.

]]>http://beyondrace.com/schoolboy-q-performs-sold-out-show-at-s-o-bs/feed0SXSW Music Festival 2013 in Austin, Texashttp://beyondrace.com/sxsw-music-festival-2013-in-austin-texas?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sxsw-music-festival-2013-in-austin-texas
http://beyondrace.com/sxsw-music-festival-2013-in-austin-texas#commentsSat, 23 Mar 2013 00:03:14 +0000Davehttp://beyondrace.com/?p=9226Trying to plan your SXSW week is like trying to plan out puberty; your palms get sweaty and a wave of uncertainty washes over your entire body. Whatever magical fantasies you conjured up in your skull now become devilishly intertwined with the reality of long nights, an insane amount of substance abuse, and free mementos [...]]]>

Trying to plan your SXSW week is like trying to plan out puberty; your palms get sweaty and a wave of uncertainty washes over your entire body. Whatever magical fantasies you conjured up in your skull now become devilishly intertwined with the reality of long nights, an insane amount of substance abuse, and free mementos to show off to the folks back home.

This year SXSW featured over 2,500 registered performers, hundreds of unofficial showcases, a never-ending valley of street shows, and more mixtape peddlers than mixtapes.

Lionfest Crowd @ Viceland

The hot spots of the week were sprinkled throughout the cosmic Texan territory. From Viceland on the main strip, directly across from the Austin Convention Center, to Fader Fort in East Austin, to The Illmore on the outskirts of town. Each day consisted of relocating from venue to venue, and for jailbait (like myself) a large amount of sneaking in.

Baby Alan @ Viceland Lionfest

It seemed the best way to get around Austin was the pedestrian approach. It may sounds far fetched, but come 10pm, it’s down right impossible to catch a cab (even if you call one) and with the nightly temperature drop, the last place you wanna be is in the middle of the street fighting over “who was standing in the street the longest”.

Nevertheless, the hike back to your hotel or the couch you’re crashing on could result in an impromptu party hopping experience. With 99.9 percent of venues giving out free liquor, it’s estimated that over 2,010,000 cans of beer, 402,000 bottles of wine, and 101,000 bottles of liquor were consumed/distributed over the week span, which means, 9 months from now, a sizeable amount of babies named Austin will surface.

The air was thick with rumors of artist performances. The two most buzz worthy artists, Justin Timberlake and Prince were among the most difficult to catch. Justin indulged fans after his musical hiatus at the MySpace “Secret Show” with a couple classics and tracks off the first half of his new two-part album, The 20/20 Experience. Every 20-something year old mouthing the words to Senortia simultaneously envisioned defiling Timberlake on the piano he played on, resulting in an orgasmic cry of fans reciting “ I don’t know what I’m thinking bout’/ really leaving with you”.

Diplo @ Viceland

Major Lazer threw down at Viceland’s “Lion Feast” featuring Snoop Dogg and Mavado. Snoop showed the trailer to his newest project, a movie entitled “Reincarnated”, of which he goes on a spiritual voyage in Jamaica, where he is reborn as “Snoop Lion”. The crowd went senseless during the Major Lazor set, as Diplo made his way over the crowd via a huge clear hamster ball. If touching Diplo’s ass through a thin layer of plastic wasn’t enough physical stimulation, maybe the Jedi level hip thrusting back up dancers whining on the backs of the lucky front row fans was. The mixture of reggae-like-trap frequencies and lack of personal space made it impossible to not become engulfed in a rush of bodily vibration, as member Walshy Fire let off a cannon into the crown, bringing a kamikaze-like end to the life of a shitload of confetti.

Major Lazer Confetti @ Viceland

XL recording group Ratking played the outdoor venue, Scoot Inn, prior to a performance by Queens group World’s Fair. The venue, with its wood exterior made both New York rap groups look like acts at a back woods talent show, and under the white glow of the decorative string lights, the crowd seemed more mesmerized by their east coast nature than their faultless lyricism; the case for many east coast performers.

Jeff Donna of World’s Fair @ Scoot Inn

Lansky Jones of World’s Fair/ COTN @ Scoot Inn

The man of the night was undoubtedly Earl Sweatshirt. Earl, alongside Flying Lotus preformed all new tracks from his upcoming album, Doris. Scoot Inn was packed with junkies, all anxious to get their Odd Future fix from Earl’s unearth-like flow, making it nearly impossible to get a single glimpse of Earl, (unless you straddled the neck of a much taller onlooker, and remained oblivious to the “get the fuck down” ’s and “move bitch” ‘s).

Nasty Nigel of World’s Fair/ COTN @ Scoot Inn

If you were brave enough, a large black speaker, turned front-row-seat rest right in front of the stage, where only the true sweatshirtians perched, regardless of dirty looks from security. Not much was said, mainly because of the new material, so most of the crowd fell under this cult like widespread gaze, while Earl spoon-feed them Doris…with a knife.

The Crowd @ Scoot Inn SXSW

Mass Appeal celebrated their re-release to print with the Ice Cream Social event, with Kendrick Lamar as headliner with appearances from Bun B, and Roc Marciano.

A$AP Ferg put on a pumped up performance with members of A$AP mob demonstrating their fearlessness with their running-start-leap-of-death crowd surfing. Ferg’s aggressive approach defiantly got the crowds blood boiling, and to cool it down, he thoughtfully chucked an open bottle of water into the crowd, twice. The most interactive out of the set, Ferg made sure his fans could feel the texture of his jeans; climbing onto the right side of the barricade, giving photographers and fans on the left reason to climb on top of each other.

The atmosphere was so intense that even the hired security couldn’t help but join in the festivities; dressed in all black, hitting their own pre-rehearsed step routines with each infectious beat.

Crowd surfing during ASAP Ferg set @ Mass Appeal Ice Cream Social

Security @ Mass Appeal Ice Cream Social

Bun B @ Mass Appeal Ice Cream Social

Kendrick Lamar @ Mass Appeal Ice Cream Social

Kendrick put on a phenomenal routine, and went through most of his album, Good Kid m.A.A.d city, on stage. Dripping in his own sweat, Lamar effortlessly conducted the crowd through GKMC, solidifying the argument that the sweat was in fact from the brutal murder of all of the crowd’s previous favorite rappers. On top of bringing out TDE as expected, Kendrick also brought out southern rapper T.I, who made a couple of surprise appearances through out the week, turning up at Fader Fort and MTVU’s Woodie Awards with Travi$ Scott.

With a line hugging the block (no hustling involved) the Woodie Awards was a main attraction for many. Sponsor stations lined the perimeter; giving out free food and drinks, while the crowd near the stage stay tucked around its bright light. The Woodie Awards, a college geared Grammy award ceremony of sorts also made way for thrift kings Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, as well as NY’s own, Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era.

Lucas and Sam @ MTVu’s Woodie Awards

Queens’s rapper Action Bronson set off the closing party on the last day of the festival on E Cesar Chavez. Bronson is not someone you want to misplace is Austin, Texas. The insane amount of Action Bronson look-alikes around town is down right scary, and most pierce your soul with their eyes and killer beard, making it impossible to even look them in the face, let alone snap their photo. Naturally, it wouldn’t be Action concert if a fight didn’t break out during the closing show, and police didn’t threaten to shut down the event due to over-capacity. With hundreds of people sharing the same recycled air, fans were on the brink of a riot.

Rapper Danny Brown made a quick appearance along with a set from Trinidad James, who made the front row of white fans do a double take on their surrounding before opting to keep this chorus of “All Gold Everything” clean. The night ended with a set from Kendrick Lamar, but the crowds response stand mediocre to that of the Mass Appeal performance the night before.

By 9am the next morning, E Cesar Chavez Street gave off an uncanny glow, arms length from post-apocalyptic. The main road, now walk-able, carried only locals and the few foreigners, too drunk the night before to wake up for their 6am flights back home.

If all you have are the memories, don’t remain “safe” at SXSW. You wont remember shit. The remarkable thing about Austin is that EVERYONE is so fucked up that they don’t notice how fucked up you really are. The constant chaos seems so normal that it’s magical and the hilarity of the normalcy is easily contagious. You can literally be walking down the street, high out your ass and no one will question your sanity right away. The first thought: I want to party with that guy/girl. SXSW is defiantly something you want to get off your bucket list while you’re young. Cheers, until next year.